Sediment bacterial communities in a eutrophic lake influenced by multiple inflow-rivers

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Ecosystem ecology
• Limnology

Background:

• Sediment bacterial communities are sensitive indicators of environmental changes.
• Understanding river-lake interactions is crucial for managing freshwater ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of inflow-rivers on Taihu Lake's sediment bacterial communities.
• To correlate bacterial community structure with environmental factors.

Main Methods:

• High-throughput sequencing of bacterial communities in 14 estuaries and 4 pelagic sites.
• Spearman correlation and Redundancy Analysis to link community data with physicochemical properties.

Main Results:

• Delta-, Beta-, Gamma-proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Nitrospira, Bacilli, Anaerolineae, and Actinobacteria were dominant classes.
• Inflow-rivers with different pollution types distinctly influenced bacterial communities.
• Estuarine bacterial diversity was lower than pelagic sites and correlated with C/N, total nitrogen, and total carbon.
• Bacterial community composition was significantly associated with C/N, total phosphorus, nitrite, and nitrate.

Conclusions:

• Inflow-rivers significantly shape Taihu Lake's sediment bacterial communities.
• Pollution levels and nutrient dynamics are key drivers of bacterial community structure.
• Findings provide guidance for managing lacustrine ecosystems and water environments.